Glautias, a king of Illyricum, who educated Pyrrhus.

Glicon, a physician of Pansa, accused of having poisoned the wound of his patron, &c. Suetonius, Augustus, ch. 11.

Glissas, a town of Bœotia, with a small river in the neighbourhood. Pausanias, bk. 9, ch. 19.

Glycĕra, a beautiful woman, celebrated by Horace, bk. 1, odes 19, 30.——A courtesan of Sicyon, so skilful in making garlands, that some attributed to her the invention of them.——A famous courtesan, whom Harpalus brought from Athens to Babylon.

Gly̆cĕrium, a harlot of Thespis, who presented her countrymen with the painting of Cupid, which Praxiteles had given her.——The mistress of Pamphilus in Terence’s Andria.

Gly̆con, a man remarkable for his strength. Horace, bk. 1, ltr. 1, li. 30.——A physician who attended Pansa, and was accused of poisoning his patron’s wound. Suetonius, Augustus, ch. 11.

Glympes, a town on the borders of the Lacedæmonians and Messenians. Polybius, bk. 4.

Gnatia, a town of Apulia, about 30 miles from Brundusium, badly supplied with water. Horace, bk. 1, satire 5.

Gnidus. See: Cnidus.

Gnossis and Gnossia, an epithet given to Ariadne, because she lived, or was born, at Gnossus. The crown which she received from Bacchus, and which was made a constellation, is called Gnossia Stella. Virgil, Georgics, bk. 1, li. 222.

Gnossus, a famous city of Crete, the residence of king Minos. The name of Gnossia tellus is often applied to the whole island. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 6, li. 23.—Strabo, bk. 10.—Homer, Odyssey.

Gobanitio, a chief of the Averni, uncle to Vercingetorix. Cæsar, Gallic War, bk. 7, ch. 4.

Gobar, a governor of Mesopotamia, who checked the course of the Euphrates, that it might not run rapidly through Babylon. Pliny, bk. 6, ch. 26.

Gobares, a Persian governor, who surrendered to Alexander, &c. Curtius, bk. 5, ch. 31.

Gobryas, a Persian, one of the seven noblemen who conspired against the usurper Smerdis. See: Darius. Herodotus, bk. 3, ch. 70.

Golgi (ōrum), a place of Cyprus, sacred to Venus Golgia and to Cupid. Pausanias, bk. 8, ch. 5.

Gomphi, a town of Thessaly, near the springs of the Peneus, at the foot of mount Pindus.

Gonātas, one of the Antigoni.

Goniădes, nymphs in the neighbourhood of the river Cytherus. Strabo, bk. 8.

Gonippus and Panormus, two youths of Andania, who disturbed the Lacedæmonians when celebrating the festivals of Pollux. Pausanias, bk. 4, ch. 27.

Gonni and Gonocondylos, a town of Thessaly at the entrance into Tempe. Livy, bk. 36, ch. 10; bk. 42, ch. 54.—Strabo, bk. 4.

Gonoessa, a town of Troas. Seneca, Troades.

Gonussa, a town of Sicyon. Pausanias.

Gordiæi, mountains in Armenia, where the Tigris rises, supposed to be the Ararat of scripture.

Gordiānus Marcus Antonius Africanus, a son of Metius Marcellus, descended from Trajan by his mother’s side. In the greatest affluence, he cultivated learning, and was an example of piety and virtue. He applied himself to the study of poetry, and composed a poem in 30 books upon the virtues of Titus, Antoninus, and Marcus Aurelius. He was such an advocate for good breeding and politeness, that he never sat down in the presence of his father-in-law Annius Severus, who paid him daily visits, before he was promoted to the pretorship. He was some time after elected consul, and went to take the government of Africa in the capacity of proconsul. After he had attained his 80th year in the greatest splendour and domestic tranquillity, he was roused from his peaceful occupations by the tyrannical reign of the Maximini, and he was proclaimed emperor by the rebellious troops of his province. He long declined to accept the imperial purple, but the threats of immediate death gained his compliance. Maximinus marched against him with the greatest indignation; and Gordian sent his son, with whom he shared the imperial dignity, to oppose the enemy. Young Gordian was killed; and the father, worn out with age, and grown desperate on account of his misfortunes, strangled himself at Carthage, before he had been six weeks at the head of the empire, A.D. 236. He was universally lamented by the army and people.——Marcus Antoninus Africanus, son of Gordianus, was instructed by Serenus Sammoticus, who left him his library, which consisted of 62,000 volumes. His enlightened understanding, and his peaceful disposition, recommended him to the favour of the emperor Heliogabalus. He was made prefect of Rome, and afterwards consul, by the emperor Alexander Severus. He passed into Africa, in the character of lieutenant to his father, who had obtained that province; and seven years after he was elected emperor, in conjunction with him. He marched against the partisans of Maximinus, his antagonist in Mauritania, and was killed in a bloody battle on the 25th of June, A.D. 236, after a reign of about six weeks. He was of an amiable disposition, but he has been justly blamed by his biographers on account of his lascivious propensities, which reduced him to the weakness and infirmities of old age, though he was but in his 46th year at the time of his death.——Marcus Antoninus Pius, grandson to the first Gordian, was but 12 years old when he was honoured with the title of Cæsar. He was proclaimed emperor in the 16th year of his age, and his election was attended with universal marks of approbation. In the 18th year of his age, he married Furia Sabina Tranquilina daughter of Misitheus, a man celebrated for his ♦eloquence and public virtues. Misitheus was entrusted with the most important offices of the state by his son-in-law, and his administration proved how deserving he was of the confidence and affection of his imperial master. He corrected the various abuses which prevailed in the state, and restored the ancient discipline among the soldiers. By his prudence and political sagacity, all the chief towns in the empire were stored with provisions, which could maintain the emperor and a large army during 15 days upon any emergency. Gordian was not less active than his father-in-law; and when Sapor the king of Persia had invaded the Roman provinces in the east, he boldly marched to meet him, and in his way defeated a large body of Goths, in Mœsia. He conquered Sapor, and took many flourishing cities in the east from his adversary. In this success the senate decreed him a triumph, and saluted Misitheus as the guardian of the republic. Gordian was assassinated in the east, A.D. 244, by the means of Philip, who had succeeded to the virtuous Misitheus, and who usurped the sovereign power by murdering a warlike and amiable prince. The senate, sensible of his merit, honoured him with a most splendid funeral on the confines of Persia, and ordered that the descendants of the Gordians should ever be free, at Rome, from all the heavy taxes and burdens of the state. During the reign of Gordianus, there was an uncommon eclipse of the sun, in which the stars appeared in the middle of the day.

♦ ‘eloqence’ replaced with ‘eloquence’

Gordium, a town of Phrygia. Justin, bk. 11, ch. 7.—Livy, bk. 38, ch. 18.—Curtius, bk. 3, ch. 1.

Gordius, a Phrygian, who, though originally a peasant, was raised to the throne. During a sedition, the Phrygians consulted the oracle, and were told that all their troubles would cease as soon as they chose for their king the first man they met going to the temple of Jupiter, mounted on a chariot. Gordius was the object of their choice, and he immediately consecrated his chariot in the temple of Jupiter. The knot which tied the yoke to the draught tree, was made in such an artful manner that the ends of the cord could not be perceived. From this circumstance a report was soon spread, that the empire of Asia was promised by the oracle to him that could untie the Gordian knot. Alexander, in his conquest of Asia, passed by Gordium; and as he wished to leave nothing undone which might inspire his soldiers with courage, and make his enemies believe that he was born to conquer Asia, he cut the knot with his sword; and from that circumstance asserted that the oracle was really fulfilled, and that his claims to universal empire were fully justified. Justin, bk. 11, ch. 7.—Curtius, bk. 3, ch. 1.—Arrian, bk. 1.——A tyrant of Corinth. Aristotle.

Gorgāsus, a man who received divine honours at Pheræ in Messenia. Pausanias, bk. 4, ch. 30.

Gorge, a daughter of Œneus king of Calydon, by Althæa daughter of Thestius. She married Andremon, by whom she had Oxilus, who headed the Heraclidæ when they made an attempt upon Peloponnesus. Her tomb was seen at Amphissa in Locris. Pausanias, bk. 10, ch. 38.—Apollodorus, bks. 1 & 2.—Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 8, li. 542.——One of the Danaides. Apollodorus, bk. 2, ch. 1.

Gorgias, a celebrated sophist and orator, son of Carmantides surnamed Leontinus, because born at Leontium in Sicily. He was sent by his countrymen to solicit the assistance of the Athenians against the Syracusans, and was successful in his embassy. He lived to his 108th year, and died B.C. 400. Only two fragments of his compositions are extant. Pausanias, bk. 6, ch. 17.—Cicero, Orator, ch. 22, &c.; De Senectute, ch. 15; Brutus, ch. 15.—Quintilian, bks. 3 & 12.——An officer of Antiochus Epiphanes.——An Athenian, who wrote an account of all the prostitutes of Athens. Athenæus.——A Macedonian, forced to war with Amyntas, &c. Curtius, bk. 7, ch. 1.

Gorgo, the wife of Leonidas king of Sparta, &c.——The name of the ship which carried Perseus, after he had conquered Medusa.

Gorgŏnes, three celebrated sisters, daughters of Phorcys and Ceto, whose names were Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa, all immortal except Medusa. According to the mythologists, their hairs were entwined with serpents, their hands were of brass, their wings of the colour of gold, their body was covered with impenetrable scales, and their teeth were as long as the tusks of a wild boar, and they turned to stones all those on whom they fixed their eyes. Medusa alone had serpents in her hair, according to Ovid, and this proceeded from the resentment of Minerva, in whose temple Medusa had gratified the passion of Neptune, who was enamoured of the beautiful colour of her locks, which the goddess changed into serpents. Æschylus says that they had only one tooth and one eye between them, of which they had the use each in her turn; and accordingly it was at the time that they were exchanging the eye, that Perseus attacked them, and cut off Medusa’s head. According to some authors, Perseus, when he went to the conquest of the Gorgons, was armed with an instrument like a scythe by Mercury, and provided with a looking-glass by Minerva, besides winged shoes, and a helmet of Pluto, which rendered all objects clearly visible and open to the view, while the person who wore it remained totally invisible. With weapons like these, Perseus obtained an easy victory; and after his conquest, returned his arms to the different deities whose favours and assistance he had so recently experienced. The head of Medusa remained in his hands; and after he had finished all his laborious expeditions, he gave it to Minerva, who placed it on her ægis, with which she turned into stones all such as fixed their eyes upon it. It is said, that after the conquest of the Gorgons, Perseus took his flight in the air towards Æthiopia; and that the drops of blood which fell to the ground from Medusa’s head were changed into serpents, which have ever since infested the sandy deserts of Libya. The horse Pegasus also arose from the blood of Medusa, as well as Chrysaor with his golden sword. The residence of the Gorgons was beyond the ocean towards the west, according to Hesiod. Æschylus makes them inhabit the eastern parts of Scythia; and Ovid, as the most received opinion, supports that they lived in the inland parts of Libya, near the lake of Triton, or the gardens of the Hesperides. Diodorus and others explain the fable of the Gorgons, by supposing that they were a warlike race of women near the Amazons, whom Perseus, with the help of a large army, totally destroyed. Hesiod, Theogony & Shield of Heracles.—Apollonius, bk. 4.—Apollodorus, bk. 2, chs. 1 & 4, &c.—Homer, Iliad, bks. 5 & 11.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 6, &c.—Diodorus, bks. 1 & 4.—Pausanias, bk. 2, ch. 20, &c.—Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound, act 4.—Pindar, Pythian, odes 7 & 12; Olympian, poem 3.—Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 4, li. 618, &c.—Palæphatus, on the Daughters of Phorcys.

Gorgŏnia, a surname of Pallas, because Perseus, armed with her shield, had conquered the Gorgon, who had polluted her temple with Neptune.

Gorgŏnius, a man ridiculed by Horace for his ill smell. Horace, bk. 1, satire 2, li. 27.

Gorgŏphŏne, a daughter of Perseus and Andromeda, who married Perieres king of Messenia, by whom she had Aphareus and Leucippus. After the death of Perieres, she married Œbalus, who made her mother of Icarus and Tyndarus. She is the first whom the mythologists mention as having had a second husband. Pausanias, bk. 4, ch. 2.—Apollodorus, bk. 1, chs. 2 & 3.——One of the Danaides. Apollodorus, bk. 2, ch. 1.

Gorgŏphŏnus, a son of Electryon and Anaxo. Apollodorus, bk. 2, ch. 4.

Gorgŏphŏra, a surname of Minerva, from her ægis, on which was the head of the Gorgon Medusa. Cicero.

Gorgus, the son of Aristomenes the Messenian. He was married, when young, to a virgin, by his father, who had experienced the greatest kindnesses from her humanity, and had been enabled to conquer seven Cretans who had attempted his life, &c. Pausanias, bk. 4, ch. 19.——A son of Theron tyrant of Agrigentum.——A man whose knowledge of metals proved very serviceable to Alexander, &c.

Gorgythion, a son of Priam, killed by Teucer. Homer, Iliad, bk. 8.

Gortuæ, a people of Eubœa, who fought with the Medes at the battle of Arbela. Curtius, bk. 4, ch. 12.

Gortyn, Gortys, and Gortȳna, an inland town of Crete. It was on the inhabitants of this place that Annibal, to save his money, practised an artifice recorded in Cornelius Nepos, Hannibal, ch. 9.—Pliny, bk. 4, ch. 12.—Lucan, bk. 6, li. 214; bk. 7, li. 214.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 11, li. 773.

Gortȳnia, a town of Arcadia in Peloponnesus. Pausanias, bk. 8, ch. 28.

Gotthi, a celebrated nation of Germany, called also Gothones, Gutones, Gythones, and Guttones. They were warriors by profession, as well as all their savage neighbours. They extended their power over all parts of the world, and chiefly directed their arms against the Roman empire. Their first attempt against Rome was on the provinces of Greece, whence they were driven by Constantine. They plundered Rome, under Alaric, one of their most celebrated kings, A.D. 410. From becoming the enemies of the Romans, the Goths gradually became their mercenaries; and as they were powerful and united, they soon dictated to their imperial masters, and introduced disorder, anarchy, and revolutions in the west of Europe. Tacitus, Annals, bk. 2, ch. 2, &c.

Gracchus Tiberius Sempronius, father of Tiberius and Caius Gracchus, twice consul, and once censor, was distinguished by his integrity as well as his prudence and superior ability, both in the senate and at the head of the armies. He made war in Gaul, and met with much success in Spain. He married Sempronia, of the family of the Scipios, a woman of great virtue, piety, and learning. Cicero, On Oratory, bk. 1, ch. 48. Their children, Tiberius and Caius, who had been educated under the watchful eye of their mother, rendered themselves famous for their eloquence, seditions, and an obstinate attachment to the interests of the populace, which at last proved fatal to them. With a winning eloquence, affected moderation, and uncommon popularity, Tiberius began to renew the Agrarian law, which had already caused such dissensions at Rome. See: Agraria. By the means of violence, his proposition passed into a law, and he was appointed commissioner, with his father-in-law Appius Claudius and his brother Caius, to make an equal division of the lands among the people. The riches of Attalus, which were left to the Roman people by will, were distributed without opposition; and Tiberius enjoyed the triumph of his successful enterprise, when he was assassinated in the midst of his adherents by Publius Nasica, while the populace were all unanimous to re-elect him to serve the office of tribune the following year. The death of Tiberius checked for a while the friends of the people; but Caius, spurred by ambition and furious zeal, attempted to remove every obstacle which stood in his way by force and violence. He supported the cause of the people with more vehemence, but less moderation than Tiberius; and his success served only to awaken his ambition, and animate his resentment against the nobles. With the privileges of a tribune, he soon became the arbiter of the republic, and treated the patricians with contempt. This behaviour hastened the ruin of Caius, and in the tumult he fled to the temple of Diana, where his friends prevented him from committing suicide. This increased the sedition, and he was murdered by order of the consul Opimius, B.C. 121, about 13 years after the unfortunate end of Tiberius. His body was thrown into the Tiber, and his wife was forbidden to put on mourning for his death. Caius has been accused of having stained his hands in the blood of Scipio Africanus the younger, who was found murdered in his bed. Plutarch, Parallel Lives.—Cicero, Catiline, ch. 1.—Lucan, bk. 6, li. 796.—Florus, bk. 2, ch. 17; bk. 3, ch. 14, &c.——Sempronius, a Roman, banished to the coast of Africa for his adulteries with Julia the daughter of Augustus. He was assassinated by order of Tiberius, after he had been banished 14 years. Julia also shared his fate. Tacitus, Annals, bk. 1, ch. 53.——A general of the Sabines, taken by Quinctius Cincinnatus.——A Roman consul, defeated by Annibal, &c. Cornelius Nepos, Hannibal.

Grādīvus, a surname of Mars among the Romans, perhaps from κραδαινειν, brandishing a spear. Though he had a temple without the walls of Rome, and though Numa had established the Salii, yet his favourite residence was supposed to be among the fierce and savage Thracians and Getæ, over whom he particularly presided. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 3, li. 35.—Homer, Iliad.—Livy, bk. 1, ch. 20; bk. 2, ch. 45.

Græci, the inhabitants of Greece. See: Græcia.

Græcia, a celebrated country of Europe, bounded on the west by the Ionian sea, south by the Mediterranean sea, east by the Ægean, and north by Thrace and Dalmatia. It is generally divided into four large provinces: Macedonia, Epirus, Achaia or Hellas, and Peloponnesus. This country has been reckoned superior to every other part of the earth, on account of the salubrity of the air, the temperature of the climate, the fertility of the soil, and above all, the fame, learning, and arts of its inhabitants. The Greeks have severally been called Achæans, Argians, Danai, Dolopes, Hellenians, Ionians, Myrmidons, and Pelasgians. The most celebrated of their cities were Athens, Sparta, Argos, Corinth, Thebes, Sicyon, Mycenæ, Delphi, Trœzene, Salamis, Megara, Pylos, &c. The inhabitants, whose history is darkened in its primitive ages with fabulous accounts and traditions, supported that they were the original inhabitants of the country, and born from the earth where they dwelt; and they heard with contempt the probable conjectures which traced their origin among the first inhabitants of Asia, and the colonies of Egypt. In the first periods of their history, the Greeks were governed by monarchs; and there were as many kings as there were cities. The monarchical power gradually decreased; the love of liberty established the republican government; and no part of Greece, except Macedonia, remained in the hands of an absolute sovereign. The expedition of the Argonauts first rendered the Greeks respectable among their neighbours; and in the succeeding age, the wars of Thebes and Troy gave opportunity to their heroes and demi-gods to display their valour in the field of battle. The simplicity of the ancient Greeks rendered them virtuous; and the establishment of the Olympic games, in particular, where the noble reward of the conqueror was a laurel crown, contributed to their aggrandizement, and made them ambitious of fame, and not the slaves of riches. The austerity of their laws, and the education of their youth, particularly at Lacedæmon, rendered them brave and active, insensible to bodily pain, fearless and intrepid in the time of danger. The celebrated battles of Marathon, Thermopylæ, Salamis, Platæa, and Mycale sufficiently show what superiority the courage of a little army can obtain over millions of undisciplined barbarians. After many signal victories over the Persians, they became elated with their success; and when they found no one able to dispute their power abroad, they turned their arms one against the other, and leagued with foreign states to destroy the most flourishing of their cities. The Messenian and Peloponnesian wars are examples of the dreadful calamities which arise from civil discord and long prosperity, and the success with which the gold and the sword of Philip and of his son corrupted and enslaved Greece, fatally proved that when a nation becomes indolent and dissipated at home, it ceases to be respectable in the eyes of the neighbouring states. The annals of Greece, however, abound with singular proofs of heroism and resolution. The bold retreat of the 10,000, who had assisted Cyrus against his brother Artaxerxes, reminded their countrymen of their superiority over all other nations; and taught Alexander that the conquest of the east might be effected with a handful of Grecian soldiers. While the Greeks rendered themselves so illustrious by their military exploits, the arts and sciences were assisted by conquest, and received fresh lustre from the application and industry of their professors. The labours of the learned were received with admiration, and the merit of a composition was determined by the applause or disapprobation of a multitude. Their generals were orators; and eloquence seemed to be so nearly connected with the military profession, that he was despised by his soldiers who could not address them upon any emergency with a spirited and well-delivered oration. The learning as well as the virtues of Socrates procured him a name; and the writings of Aristotle have, perhaps, gained him a more lasting fame than all the conquests and trophies of his royal pupil. Such were the occupations and accomplishments of the Greeks. Their language became almost universal, and their country was the receptacle of the youths of the neighbouring states, where they imbibed the principles of liberty and moral virtue. The Greeks planted several colonies, and totally peopled the western coasts of Asia Minor. In the eastern parts of Italy there were also many settlements made; and the country received from its Greek inhabitants the name of Magna Græcia. For some time Greece submitted to the yoke of Alexander and his successors; and at last, after a spirited though ineffectual struggle in the Achæan league, it fell under the power of Rome, and became one of its ♦dependent provinces, governed by a proconsul.

♦ ‘dependant’ replaced with ‘dependent’

Græcia magna, a part of Italy where the Greeks planted colonies, whence the name. Its boundaries are very uncertain; some say that it extended on the southern parts of Italy, and others suppose that Magna Græcia comprehended only Campania and Lucania. To these some add Sicily, which was likewise peopled by Greek colonies. Ovid, Fasti, bk. 4, li. 64.—Strabo, &c.

Græcīnus, a senator put to death by Caligula, because he refused to accuse Sejanus, &c. Seneca, de Beneficiis, bk. 2.

Græcus, a man from whom some suppose that Greece received its name. Aristotle.

Graius, an inhabitant of Greece.

Grampius mons, the Grampian mountains in Scotland. Tacitus, Agricola, ch. 29.

Granīcus, a river of Bithynia, famous for the battle fought there between the armies of Alexander and Darius, 22nd of May, B.C. 334, when 600,000 Persians were defeated by 30,000 Macedonians. Diodorus, bk. 17.—Plutarch, Alexander.—Justin.—Curtius, bk. 4, ch. 1.

Granius Petronius, an officer who, being taken by Pompey’s generals, refused the life which was tendered to him; observing that Cæsar’s soldiers received not, but granted, life. He killed himself. Plutarch, Cæsar.——A questor whom Sylla had ordered to be strangled, only one day before he died a natural death. Plutarch.——A son of the wife of Marius, by a former husband.——Quintus, a man intimate with Crassus and other illustrious men of Rome, whose vices he lashed with an unsparing hand. Cicero, Brutus, chs. 43 & 46; On Oratory, bk. 2, ch. 60.

Gratiæ, three goddesses. See: Charites.

Grātiānus, a native of Pannonia, father to the emperor Valentinian I. He was raised to the throne, though only eight years old; and after he had reigned for some time conjointly with his father, he became sole emperor in the 16th year of his age. He soon after took, as his imperial colleague, Theodosius, whom he appointed over the eastern parts of the empire. His courage in the field was as remarkable as his love of learning, and fondness of philosophy. He slaughtered 30,000 Germans in a battle, and supported the tottering state by his prudence and intrepidity. His enmity to the Pagan superstition of his subjects proved his ruin; and Maximinus, who undertook the defence of the worship of Jupiter and of all the gods, was joined by an infinite number of discontented Romans, and met Gratian near Paris in Gaul. Gratian was forsaken by his troops in the field of battle, and was murdered by the rebels, A.D. 383, in the 24th year of his age.——A Roman soldier, invested with the imperial purple by the rebellious army in Britain, in opposition to Honorius. He was assassinated four months after by those very troops to whom he owed his elevation, A.D. 407.

Gratidia, a woman at Neapolis, called Canidia by Horace, epode 3.

Gration, a giant killed by Diana.

Gratius Faliscus, a Latin poet contemporary with Ovid, and mentioned only by him among the more ancient authors. He wrote a poem on coursing, called Cynegeticon, much commended for its elegance and perspicuity. It may be compared to the Georgics of Virgil, to which it is nearly equal in the number of verses. The latest edition is of Amsterdam, 4to, 1728. Ovid, ex Ponto, bk. 4, poem 16, li. 34.

Gravii, a people of Spain. Silius Italicus, bk. 3, li. 366.

Grăviscæ, now Eremo de St. Augustino, a maritime town of Etruria, which assisted Æneas against Turnus. The air was unwholesome, on account of the marshes and stagnant waters in its neighbourhood. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 10, li. 184.—Livy, bk. 40, ch. 29; bk. 41, ch. 16.

Gravius, a Roman knight of Puteoli, killed at Dyrrachium, &c. Cæsar, Civil War.

Gregorius Theodore Thaumaturgus, a disciple of Origen, afterwards bishop of Neocæsarea, the place of his birth. He died A.D. 266, and it is said he left only 17 idolaters in his diocese, where he had found only 17 christians. Of his works, are extant his congratulatory oration to Origen, a canonical epistle, and other treatises in Greek, the best edition of which is that of Paris, folio, 1622.——Nazianzen, surnamed the Divine, was bishop of Constantinople, which he resigned on its being disputed. His writings rival those of the most celebrated orators of Greece in eloquence, sublimity, and variety. His sermons are more for philosophers than common hearers, but replete with seriousness and devotion. Erasmus said that he was afraid to translate his works, from the apprehension of not transfusing into another language the smartness and acumen of his style, and the stateliness and happy diction of the whole. He died A.D. 389. The best edition is that of the Benedictines, the first volume of which, in folio, was published at Paris, 1778.——A bishop of Nyssa, author of the Nicene creed. His style is represented as allegorical and affected; and he has been accused of mixing philosophy too much with theology. His writings consist of commentaries on scripture, moral discourses, sermons on mysteries, dogmatical treatises, panegyrics on saints; the best edition of which is that of Morell, 2 vols., folio, Paris, 1615. The bishop died, A.D. 396.——Another christian writer, whose works were edited by the Benedictines, in 4 vols., folio, Paris, 1705.

Grinnes, a people among the Batavians. Tacitus, Histories, bk. 5, ch. 10.

Grosphus, a man distinguished as much for his probity as his riches, to whom Horace addressed bk. 2, ode 16.

Grudii, a people tributary to the Nervii, supposed to have inhabited the country near Tournay or Bruges in Flanders. Cæsar, Gallic War, bk. 5, ch. 38.

Grumentum, now Armento, an inland town of Lucania on the river Aciris. Livy, bk. 23, ch. 37; bk. 27, ch. 41.

Gryllus, a son of Xenophon, who killed Epaminondas, and was himself slain, at the battle of Mantinea, B.C. 363. His father was offering a sacrifice when he received the news of his death, and he threw down the garland which was on his head; but he replaced it when he heard that the enemy’s general had fallen by his hands; and he observed, that his death ought to be celebrated with every demonstration of joy, rather than of lamentation. Aristotle.—Pausanias, bk. 8, ch. 11, &c.——One of the companions of Ulysses, changed into a swine by Circe. It it said that he refused to be restored to his human shape, and preferred the indolence and inactivity of this squalid animal.

Grynēum and Grynīum, a town near Clazomenæ, where Apollo had a temple with an oracle, on account of which he is called Grynæus. Strabo, bk. 13.—Virgil, Eclogues, bk. 6, li. 72; Æneid, bk. 4, li. 345.

Grynēus, one of the Centaurs, who fought against the Lapithæ, &c. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 12, li. 260.

Gyărus and Gyăros, an island in the Ægean sea, near Delos. The Romans were wont to send their culprits there. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 7, li. 407.

Gyas, one of the companions of Æneas, who distinguished himself at the games exhibited after the death of Anchises in Sicily. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 5, li. 118, &c.——A part of the territories of Syracuse, in the possession of Dionysius.——A Rutulian, son of Melampus, killed by Æneas in Italy. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 10, li. 318.

Gȳgæus, a lake of Lydia, 40 stadia from Sardis. Propertius, bk. 3, poem 11, li. 18.

Gȳge, a maid of Parysatis.

Gyges, or Gyes, a son of Cœlus and Terra, represented as having 50 heads and 100 hands. He, with his brothers, made war against the gods, and was afterwards punished in Tartarus. Ovid, Tristia, bk. 4, poem 7, li. 18.——A Lydian, to whom Candaules king of the country showed his wife naked. The queen was so incensed at this instance of imprudence and infirmity in her husband, that she ordered Gyges, either to prepare for death himself, or to murder Candaules. He chose the latter, and married the queen, and ascended the vacant throne, about 718 years before the christian era. He was the first of the Mermnadæ who reigned in Lydia. He reigned 38 years, and distinguished himself by the immense presents which he made to the oracle of Delphi. According to Plato, Gyges descended into a chasm of the earth, where he found a brazen horse, whose sides he opened, and saw within the body the carcase of a man of uncommon size, from whose finger he took a famous brazen ring. This ring, when put on his finger, rendered him invisible; and by means of its virtue, he introduced himself to the queen, murdered her husband, and married her, and usurped the crown of Lydia. Herodotus, bk. 1, ch. 8.—♦Plato, Dialogues, bk. 10, The Republic.—Valerius Maximus, bk. 7, ch. 1.—Cicero, De Officiis, bk. 3, ch. 9.——A man killed by Turnus in his wars with Æneas. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 9, li. 762.——A beautiful boy of Cnidos in the age of Horace. Horace, bk. 2, ode 5, li. 30.

♦ ‘Plutarch’ replaced with ‘Plato’

Gylippus, a Lacedæmonian sent, B.C. 414, by his countrymen to assist Syracuse against the Athenians. He obtained a celebrated victory over Nicias and Demosthenes, the enemy’s generals, and obliged them to surrender. He accompanied Lysander in his expedition against Athens, and was present at the taking of that celebrated town. After the fall of Athens, he was entrusted by the conqueror with the money which had been taken in the plunder, which amounted to 1500 talents. As he conveyed it to Sparta, he had the meanness to unsew the bottom of the bags which contained it, and secreted about 300 talents. His theft was discovered; and to avoid the punishment which he deserved, he fled from his country, and by this act of meanness tarnished the glory of his victorious actions. Tibullus, bk. 4, poem 1, li. 199.—Plutarch, Nicias.——An Arcadian in the Rutulian war. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 12, li. 272.

Gymnăsia, a large city near Colchis. Diodorus, bk. 14.

Gymnăsium, a place among the Greeks, where all the public exercises were performed, and where not only wrestlers and dancers exhibited, but also philosophers, poets, and rhetoricians repeated their compositions. The room was high and spacious, and could contain many thousands of spectators. The laborious exercises of the Gymnasium were running, leaping, throwing the quoit, wrestling, and boxing, which was called by the Greeks πενταθλον, and by the Romans quinquertia. In riding, the athlete led a horse, on which he sometimes was mounted, conducting another by the bridle, and jumping from the one upon the other. Whoever came first to the goal and jumped with the greatest agility, obtained the prize. In running afoot the athletes were sometimes armed, and he who came first was declared victorious. Leaping was a useful exercise; its primary object was to teach the soldiers to jump over ditches, and to pass over eminences during a siege, or in the field of battle. In throwing the quoit, the prize was adjudged to him who threw it furthest. The quoits were made either with wood, stone, or metal. The wrestlers employed all their dexterity to bring their adversary to the ground, and the boxers had their hands armed with gauntlets, called also cestus. Their blows were dangerous, and often ended in the death of one of the combatants. In wrestling and boxing, the athletes were often naked, whence the word Gymnasium, γυμνος, nudus. They anointed themselves with oil to brace their limbs, and to render their bodies slippery and more difficult to be grasped. Pliny, bk. 2, ltr. 17.—Cornelius Nepos, bk. 20, ch. 5.

Gymnēsiæ, two islands near the Iberus in the Mediterranean, called Beleares by the Greeks. Plutarch, bk. 5, ch. 8.—Strabo, bk. 2.

Gymnetes, a people of Æthiopia, who lived almost naked. Pliny, bk. 5, ch. 8.

Gymniæ, a town of Colchis. Xenophon, Anabasis, bk. 4.

Gymnosophistæ, a certain sect of philosophers in India, who, according to some, placed their summum bonum in pleasure, and their summum malum in pain. They lived naked, as their name implies, and for 37 years they exposed themselves in the open air, to the heat of the sun, the inclemency of the seasons, and the coldness of the night. They were often seen in the fields fixing their eyes full upon the disc of the sun from the time of its rising till the hour of its setting. Sometimes they stood whole days upon one foot in burning sand without moving, or showing any concern for what surrounded them. Alexander was astonished at the sight of a sect of men who seemed to despise bodily pain, and who inured themselves to suffer the greatest tortures without uttering a groan, or expressing any marks of fear. The conqueror condescended to visit them, and his astonishment was increased when he saw one of them ascend a burning pile with firmness and unconcern, to avoid the infirmities of old age, and stand upright on one leg and unmoved, whilst the flames surrounded him on every side. See: Calanus. The Brachmans were a branch of the sect of the Gymnosophistæ. See: Brachmanes. Strabo, bk. 15, &c.—Pliny, bk. 7, ch. 2.—Cicero, Tusculanæ Disputationes, bk. 5.—Lucan, bk. 3, li. 240.—Curtius, bk. 8, ch. 9.—Dionysius.

Gynæceas, a woman said to have been the wife of Faunus, and the mother of Bacchus and of Midas.

Gynæcothœnas, a name of Mars at Tegea, on account of a sacrifice offered by the women without the assistance of the men, who were not permitted to appear at this religious ceremony. Pausanias, bk. 8, ch. 48.

Gyndes, now Zeindeh, a river of Assyria, falling into the Tigris. When Cyrus marched against Babylon, his army was stopped by this river, in which one of his favourite horses was drowned. This so irritated the monarch that he ordered the river to be conveyed into 360 different channels by his army, so that after this division it hardly reached the knee. Herodotus, bk. 1, chs. 189 & 202.

Gythēum, a seaport town of Laconia, at the mouth of the Eurotas in Peloponnesus, built by Hercules and Apollo, who had there desisted from their quarrels. The inhabitants were called Gytheatæ. Cicero, De Officiis, bk. 3, ch. 11.